Last-slice holder or support for slicing machines



0a. 14, 1930. H. THOMAS 1,778,472

, LAST SLIGE HOLDER OR SUPPORT FOR SLICING MACHINES Original Filed Dec.15, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet l W1 TIVE s as Arrow/5r H. THOMAS 1,778,472

LAST SLICE HOLDER OR SUPPORT FOR SLICING MACHINES Oct. 14, 1930.

Original Filed Dec. 15, 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wnnsss:

M W W H. THOMAS 1,778,472

LAST SLICE HQLDER OR SUPPORT FOR SLICING A'CHINES I Origifial Filed Dec.15 1925 4 Sheets-Sheet :s

Oct. 14, 1930.

y w xfi w x d w m n l Wmvsszs. 9mm W l l I II /ow mw H. THOMAS Oct. 14,1930.

LAST SLICE HOLDER OR SUPPORT FOR SLICING MACHiNES Original Filed Dec. 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Wmmsssx Qqmflmmm Patented Oct. 14, 1930 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE THOMAS, OF BAR-KING, ESSEX, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR- TO U.SHSLICING MACHINE COMPANY, OF LA FORTE, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OFINDIANA LAST-SLICE HOLDER R SUPPORT FOR SLICING MACHINES Applicationfiled December 15, 1925, Serial No. 75,629, and in Great BritainDecember 532, 1924.

Renewed August 3, 1929.

This invention relates to so called last slice holders or supports forslicing machines, the holders or supports being of the type comprising anumber of rods or bars 1 (with curved hooks or prongs thereon) rotatablymounted in a frame and adapted to be turned simultaneously, to projectthe hooks or prongs forward, through the medium of toothed wheels orsegments fixed i on the rods or bars at one end of the frame.

lyfby turning a lever fixed on one of the bars.

With such a construction it sometimes happens that when the lever isactuated some of the prong-bars, owing to unavoidable backlash in thegear train, will not be turned to the full extent and the curved prongsthereon will. then project further than they should. Consequently, whenthe last slice-is being cut these prongs are apt tofoul the knifeandcause damage.

7 According to the present invention this disadvantage is overcome byproviding operating mechanism. so constructed and arranged that theturning eii ort instead 0t 1? beingapplied collectively to all theprongbars is applied separately to each individual prong-bar or to eachindividual pair of p rong-bars. The operating mechanism may compriseslidable means .wh1ch may consist of one or more slid-able members,whereby the turning effort is applied separately to each individualtoothed segmentor wheel or to each individual pair of toothed segmentsor Wheels.

. The operating mechanism may comprise a single slida-ble toothed rackadapted to engage said segments or wheels or the toothed segments orwheels on adjacent prong-bars may be arranged out of alignment thusforming two rows and in this case the operatingmechanism may comprisetwo slidable toothed racks,-one of which engages all the toothedsegments or wheels in one; row and the otherthe segments or wheels inthe other row, means being provided for sliding said rackssimultaneously in opposite directions whereby tie adjacent prong-barsare rotated in opposite directions. In order to obtain tl is result,instead of arranging the toothed segments or wheels on alternateprong-bars out of alignment, the toothed segment or wheel on one of theprong-bars may be wider than that on the other prong-bar but meshingtherewith and the operating mechanism may comprise a single slidabletoothed rack adapted to engage the wider segment or wheel only. In thisembodiment the toothed segments are arranged in pairs, the segments ofeach pair meshing with one another. In all cases the operating mechanismis, or may be, so constructed and arranged that the prongbars will belocked automatically against movement in the operative or inoperativepositron except by the actuation of said mechanism.

Various constructional embodiments of my present invention areillustrated, by way of example, on the annexed drawings, whereon i Fig.1 shows one constructional form applied to a last slice holder describedand claimed in the specification oi? my cci ending patent applicationSerial HO. 75,628, filed December 15, 1925, for work-piece holder forslicing machines.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view corresponding to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 22 in [Fig 1.;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevatron of one of the side membersor" a last slice holder frame and shows an arrangement of toothed wheelsfor use when adja- L in v ehvatron or an ar- 0 corresponding face of acover plate wherein said rack member is slidably guided;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional end ele- Fig. 12 1s a section on theline1212 in Fig. 10; V

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary elevation of further modified'mechanism foroperating adja- C6111? prong-bars in opposite directions; 7 Fig/1 1 is asection on the line 1 1-1 1 in Fig.13; i (I 15 is a. top plan view,partly in section, corresponding to Fig. 1 1; p Fig.16 is a fragmentaryelevation of a still further modification; s

Fig. '17 is a secti'onon the line 1717 in Fig.16} -f Fig, 18 is a topplan view, partly insection, corresponding to Fig. 16 and Fig-.19 is afragmentary view of a modified form oi operating mechanism for twotoothed rack members.

Referring to Figs. 1150 3 'lhe last slice holder. illustrated is fully'descrihedin the specification of my co-pending patent applicationSerial No. 75,628 and it is sutlicient, for the 'pn pose of the presentdescription, to state that said last slice holder "comprises prong-bars1, of angle section, ro-

-' tatably mounted inthe side members 2 and 3 of the frame, said 'harscomprising prongs 4E which are adapted, when the prongfia'rs are rotatedin unison, to be pro ecte'd 1nto the substance held against the flatsurface constir d hythevertical fianges'of the prong-' Y in liars, see

:11 rack member 5', formed on one edge with racl; teeth 6, 'shdahlyarranged at'the back of the side member 3 of the frame, be1 ng guidedthereon by means oi pins? and 8 screwed into, the member I elongatedslots 9 and 16 formed in the rack me nher latter is o member. .Toothedsegments 11 are secured to the prong-bars 1, which latter are so spacedthat the toothed segments do not mesh with each other. 'i lllthe toothedsegments are,

however, inmes 1 with'the t th 6 on the rack I rated by a lever memberby a pin 13 and 1&2 pivoted to having an. elongated slot is n which thepin 8 is engaged The slot 1 1 is also formed with 1 portion 15'Wl1G18l11 the pin 8' engages when the leverQOis in its normal position,infwhich dicatedin V t v V lllhen the'operating. lever 12 1s depressed,

and engaging in the co-action of the pin 8 and the slot l l insaid'lever causes the rack member 5 to slide downwards and theprong-bars to be rotated in unison, and in the same direction, by rea- Ison of the engagement of the rack teeth 6 with the toothed, segments 11,the-prongs 4 lJQIH no ected forwards towards the tront oi the last sliceholder. Thus, the force applied to the lever 12 is also applied throughthe rack teeth 6 to eachtoothed segment ll independently and backlash isreducedto a :wheel'and is mounted on the next adjacent prong-bar andthat the toothed wheel 17 'does not mesh with the wider toothed wheel 18immediately below. it. The wheel-18 engages with a toothed wheel 19disposed in line. with, and of the same width as, the toothed wheel 17The prong har's 1' are rotated in unison by means 'ot'a single rackmember 20, tornieclwvitli rackteeth 21 and arranged for sliding movementon the. side member 8 of theframe of the last slic e hold'er, sothatsaid-teeth only engage with the alternate toothed wheels 16.andv18,-'tl1e width of the rack member. being substantially equal tothefidifierence between the widths of the narrow and wide toothedwheels. In this way, the force appliedto the rack member isapplied tothewider toothed wheels 16 or 18. "of the two paiirs'of adjacent toothedwheels -16 and1? and .18 and 19 in.

dependently and it will be obvious that th toothed wheels 17 and 19rotate in opposite directions to the "wheels meshing therewith.

One form 01 mechanism for operating the rack member; 20 is illustratedon Figs. 6to

9, the raclrmemher being slidahly arranged in gui'deway 22-which isformed in av cover plate 23 secured to the sidem'emher 8 of the frame;An operating lever'24 is pivotechby means of a pin 25, to 'said coverplate and passes through an elongated aperture 26 tormedin the hackthereof and' engag'esin "a slot- 27 forrned in the backof theraclrmemher 20. The pivotal movement of the operating lever 241'up-orfdown will cause the toothed wheels 16 and 18, with which the rackmembere'ng'agegto be rotated in one direction, the toothed wheels 17andt19 mesh ingwith the wheels '16 and 18'bei1'1g1rotated position theprongs 1- .are 1noperative,"as inin the opposite direction, asaforesaid. V

The pronghars 1 1n the construction illustrated i-n'E-igsfiIO and 12 aremounted'forro- .tation in the frame of .the last sliceholder jv sliceholder.

ber 29 to the'inner rack member 28, so that the latter is slid in theopposite direction, is not shown inv Fig. 19. The two constructionsdifferQhowever, in that the operating lever 12, which is also pivotedonthe outer rack member, is disposed in the opposite direction to thelever 12 of the construction inFigs. 10 to 12'with its cam slot 14 engathe upper pin 32 instead of the lower 1 In-all the constructionsdescribed the arrangementof the slot (or slots) in the operating leverandpin :(or pins) in the rack (or racks) is such that the prong-bars areautomatically locked against movement in either direct-ion except whenmoved by meansof the operating lever.

Having now fully described my invention what I claim and desireto secureby Letters Patent is 1. Ina lastslice holder for slicing machines, aframe, a plurality of combined abutment and impalin' members mounted inp airs in said frame, pinions on the respective members, pinions on eachof'a pair of the members meshing withone. another, and an actuating rackmeshing with one of the pinions on eachof a pair of members for movingthe membersinto and out'ofv engagement with the material to befsliced, v

2. Ii1,a last 'sliceholderfor slicing machines, a plurality of impalingmeans, a gear associated with eachof a plurality of said inip'alingmeans, araok meshing with a plurality of said gears and operativedriving connection between said'plurality of'gears and the chines, aframe, longitudinally extending members journalledin the sides ofsaidframe, impaling elements on said'members, a plu rality of saidmemberseach having a gear thereon, and means'meshing with each of sai gears forrotating said members- 7. In a last sliceholder for slicing machines, aplurality of impaling members an ranged in pairs, a narrow gear on oneof said members of each pairmeshing with a wide gear on the other memberof each pair, and a-rack disposed at one side ofxsaid narrow gears andmeshing with a plurality of said 7 remaining gears, said gearsbeingdisposed 7 V m a plane transverse to the; plane of said last 3. In alast slice. holder for slicing machines, a frame, a plurality ofimpalingm'eans journalled in. said frame, a gear associated with each ofa plurality of saidim-paling means,a rack meshing with a plurality ofsaid gears and operative driving connection between saidpluralityof'gears and the remaining gears, said gears being disposed ina planetransverse to the plane of said frame.

4. In al'llast slice holder for slicing maclnnear tata-bly mounted barscarrying inipaling elements arranged along, the length of 'saidbars, aplurality of'said bars each having gear rigid therewith, and a rack wme'shingwith some of saidgears fo-rrotating isa d bars,the'rema 1'n1nggears being driven by said rack, driven gears.

5. In a last slice holder .forslicing ma-' chines, a frame, a pluralityof barsrotatably mounted ingopposite ends ofsaid frame,- impalingelement-sicarried by, said bars, a gear on each of said bars, a rackmeshing with some of said gears for rotating, said bars, 7 and operativedriving-connections for Clll'V-" 'ing the remaining gears when saidfirstmentioned gears are rotated.

'6. Ina lasts-lice holder .for .slicing ma-

